Acquisition of Instruments for Environmental Research and Training

摘要：美国阿拉巴马农工大学的Pauline Lindo博士获得了一笔资金，用于购买一台ICP-MS仪器，用于植物与土壤科学系的环境研究和培训。电感耦合氩等离子体质量分光光度计（ICP-MS）在定量各种介质中痕量重金属浓度（ppb, ppt）方面非常有用，将用于识别和量化危害环境质量，人类和动物健康的各种物种，这些物种的任何季节性高峰，并根据生成的研究数据开发的模型向公众发布健康警报。这项研究将包括种植受污染的土壤，种植一些能够提取大量土壤重金属的超蓄积物。在特定的时间间隔内，在6个深度取样土壤和渗水，以监测/追踪重金属向地下水供应的移动。在每次暴雨事件发生后，将立即对径流水进行采样，并测试其携带的重金属和物种——地表水的污染源。径流样品将被评估泥沙含量，以确定重金属（在吸附，交换，或可溶性状态）在土壤表面的运输速率。所有的土壤、水和植物组织样本都将进行金属和物种分析。植物的吸收将与土壤浓度的减少相关，以计算各种植物物种对这些土壤的修复率。该项目将在秋季和冬季重复进行，以评估季节对重金属负荷和物种形成的影响，以便开发一个模型来预测受季节变化影响的土壤、植物和水中的毒性水平。由于金属从水溶液中吸附到固体表面是影响环境中积累和运输的一个重要过程，因此命运和运输研究将包括受无机阴离子影响的土壤矿物粘土表面重金属保留/释放的动力学和机制。本研究产生的数据将有助于设计实用和经济的修复策略，以有效地清理有毒重金属污染场地。重金属种类的测量对于确定吸附/解吸机制是必要的，为此仪器将是必不可少的。该工具将通过暑期项目和实习（针对理学士学生）以及研究项目（针对理硕士和博士生），为理学士、理硕士和博士级别的教职员工和少数族裔学生提供研究培训和研究技能的发展。这项研究将为少数民族学生（其中许多是女性）、未来的科学家提供学习、成长和发展职业生涯所需技能的机会。作为培训的一个组成部分，该仪器还将用于在阿拉巴马a&m大学教授几门课程。来自附近大学的合作者将主要为教师和研究生的研究和培训使用该仪器。

ABSTRACT: A grant has been awarded to Dr. Pauline Lindo at Alabama A&M University towards the purchase of an ICP-MS instrument for conducting environmental research and training in the Dept. of Plant and Soil Science. The Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma-Mass Spectrophotometer (ICP-MS) is extremely useful in quantifying trace concentrations (ppb, ppt) of heavy metals in various media and will be used to identify and quantify the various species jeopardizing environmental quality, human and animal health, any seasonal peaks of these species, and to issue health alerts to the general public based on models to be developed from the research data generated. The research will include cropping of contaminated soils to a number of hyperaccumulators, plants capable of extracting large quantities of soil heavy metals. At specific intervals, soil and percolating water will be sampled at 6 depths to monitor/track movement of heavy metals to groundwater supplies. Runoff water will be sampled almost immediately after each storm event and tested for transported heavy metals and species - sources of contamination for surface water. Runoff samples will be evaluated for sediment content, to determine the transport rate of heavy metals (in adsorbed, exchangeable, or soluble state) across the soil surface. All soil, water, and plant tissue samples will be analyzed for metals and species. Uptake by plants will be correlated with reductions in soil concentrations, to calculate a remediation rate for these soils by various plant species. This project will be repeated in the fall and winter to evaluate seasonal effects on heavy metal loadings and speciation, so that a model can be developed to predict toxicity levels in soil, plant, and water as affected by seasonal variability. Since sorption of metals from aqueous solution onto solid surfaces is an important process that influences accumulation and transport in the environment, fate and transport studies will include kinetics and mechanisms of heavy metal retention/release on soil mineral clay surfaces as affected by inorganic anions. The data generated from this study will assist in designing practical and economical remediation strategies to effectively clean up toxic heavy metal-contaminated sites. Measurement of heavy metal species is necessary to determine adsorption/desorption mechanism(s), and the instrument will be indispensable for this purpose. The instrument will offer research training and development of research skills to faculty, staff, and minority students at the BS, MS, and PhD levels through summer programs and internships (for BS students), and research projects (MS and PhD students). This study will offer minority students (many of them female), the future scientists, the opportunity to learn, grow, and develop the skills they need to launch their careers. This instrument will also be used for teaching several curriculum courses at Alabama A&M University as an integral part of training. Collaborators from nearby colleges will have access to this instrument primarily for faculty and graduate student research and training.